Bedclothes clamp



1964 M. s. MCSORLEY ETAL 3,143,747

BEDCLOTI-IES CLAMP Filed Sept. 24, 1962 INVENTORS MAZCOLM .S M50RLEY 40421. Z i0 [M9526 4 TT'OE/VE Y United States Patent 3,143,747 BEDCLOTHES CLAlVIP Malcolm S. McSorley, 614 Rosemary Lane, Burbank, Caiif., and Karlis Rutenberg, 4860 Centinela Ave., Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed Sept. '24, 1962, Ser. No. 225,747 3 Claims. (Cl. 320) This invention relates to a bedclothes clamp and has for an object to provide a device that is characterized by both safety and comfort in that the same may serve to prevent an infant from slipping under the covers with danger of suffocating, or as a means to prevent both children and adults from sliding down in bed from a pillowbacked sitting position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp device that is simple to apply in any adjusted position over the bedclothes, thereby being usable with easy facility and to accommodate for rapid size increases of infants and children.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamp device that readily accommodates itself to mattresses having varying degrees of center sag, thereby effectively serving to arrest slip-down movement of infants and children under all variations of mattress condition.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a side edge view of a bedclothes clamp according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan View thereof.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an infants crib showing the present clamp in operative position to prevent an infant in said crib from slipping under the covers.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a crib 5 that is conventionally provided with a spring frame 6, on the springs of which is supported a mattress 7. Said mattress, in the usual way, may be covered by a sheet or blanket and support an infant 8. A sheet, quilt, blanket or other covers 9 may cover the infant and he tucked around the sides and lower end of the mattress in well-known Ways for the intended purpose of retaining the child in position. However, both during sleeping and waking hours, a child thus tucked in may wiggle around to such a degree as to slide down under the covers 9 and run the danger of being suffocated thereby.

The crib and bedding shown are generally typical of beds and cots, it being understood that what is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be representative of a bed for children and/ or adults.

The present bedclothes clamp comprises, generally, a frame-like member 10 of limited resiliency, and two connection straps 11 for engaging a spring frame 6 to resiliently hold the member 10 in clamping engagement with a bed, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The member 10 is advantageously made of tubular stock, preferably metal, to comprise an elongated endless frame having side portions 12 and end connecting 3,143,747 Patented Aug. '11, 1964 portions 13. Said frame may be made of plastic rod or tubing, and, if made of metal, is preferably coated with a plastic, such as vinyl, or other coating material safe for infants to bite on or to mouth. As shown in FIG. 1, said frame member 10 has a longitudinal curvature, as viewed from the side, and, as seen in FIG. 2, the side portions 12 thereof are oppositely bowed. The end portions 13 are relatively substantially shorter than the side portions.

The connection straps 11 are connected to the end portions 13 of the member 10, the same being flexible, preferably adjustable for length, and advantageously formed of plastic webbing or tape 14 having a hook or comparable fitting 15 at the end thereof.

The above-described member 10 has limited transverse flexibility and is adapted to be placed across a bed, cot or crib at the foot end thereof with the connection straps 11 trained over the sides of the mattress 7 and adjusted for length so that the hook fittings 15, when engaged, as in FIG. 4, with the frame 6 of a spring or other rigid side members of said bed, cot or crib, will draw downwardly on the ends 13 of said member to partly flatten the same and, in the process, causing the mid parts of the side portions 12 to fit into any sag there may be in the mattress or to press downwardly into the top of the mattress whether or not there is sag therein. In any case, tautening of the strap 11 causes tight clamping of the covers 9 to the mattress so that there is no space for a foot or any other part of the anatomy of a child to extend past the clamp frame. It will be clear, therefore, that such a frame forms an abutment to obviate downward sliding or slipping of a person with his feet extended toward the area of the bedclothes that is clamped.

It will be evident that the outward bow of the frame sides 12 serve to impart rigidity thereto against side pressure thereon, thereby insuring firm retention of applied position of the clamp even when subjected to pushing thereagainst by an active child.

The clamp need be removed only when the bedding is to be changed, since the covers 9 may be manipulated, as desired, while said clamp is in operative position.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A bedclothes clamp comprising (a) an elongated and resilient frame provided with elongated side portions and shorter connecting end portions, said frame having longitudinal curvature and adapted to be disposed across a bed over a mattress and covers tucked around the sides of the mattress with the mid portion of the frame in contact with said covers intermediate the sides of the mattress and the end portions raised above the covers, (b) a strap connected to each frame end and adapted to be trained around the opposite sides of the covered mattress and to be attached to rigid portions of the bed, and

(c) the elongated side portions of the frame being oppositely bowed.

2. A bedclothes clamp comprising (a) an elongated and resilient frame provided with elongated side portions and shorter connecting end portions, said frame having longitudinal curvature and adapted to be disposed across a bed over a mattress and covers tucked around the sides of the mat- 0 .9 tress with the mid portion of the frame in contact with said covers intermediate the sides of the mattress and the end portions raised above the covers, (b) a strap connected to each frame end and adapted to be trained around, the opposite sides of the covered mattress and to be attached to rigid portions of the bed, and

(c) the connection straps being adjustable to draw down on the frame ends after the straps have been attached to the bed to cause the frame to partly flatten and its mid portion to press tightly into the covered, mattress.

3. A bedclothes clamp comprising (a) an elongated closed loop of resilient stock,

(b) said loop comprisingrelatively short end portions and relatively longer longitudinally curved side portions, the latter portions being outwardly laterally bowed so that mid pointsof said longer portions are spaced apart a distance greater than the lengths of the short end portions, and

(c) a connector member on each said end portion of the closed loop and adapted for separable connection to the opposite sides of a bed with the loop extending substantially across the bedclothes on said bed,

(d) said connector members being adapted to impose flexure force on the loop to resiliently press the mid parts of the longer and curved side portions thereof against the bedclothes intermediate the bed. sides, and flex the loop to cause the same to flatten as least partly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,817,853 Johnson Dec. 31, 1957 

1. A BEDCLOTHES CLAMP COMPRISING (A) AN ELONGATED AND RESILIENT FRAME PROVIDED WITH ELONGATED SIDE PORTIONS AND SHORTER CONNECTING END PORTIONS, SAID FRAME HAVING LONGITUDINAL CURVATURE AND ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED ACROSS A BED OVER A MATTRESS AND COVERS TUCKED AROUND THE SIDES OF THE MATRESS WITH THE MID PORTION OF THE FRAME IN CONTACT WITH SAID COVERS INTERMEDIATE THE SIDES OF THE MATTRESS AND THE END PORTIONS RAISED ABOVE THE COVERS, (B) A STRAP CONNECTED TO EACH FRAME END AND ADAPTED TO BE TRAINED AROUND THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE COVERED MATTRESS AND TO BE ATTACHED TO RIGID PORTIONS OF THE BED, AND (C) THE ELONGATED SIDE PORTIONS OF THE FRAME BEING OPPOSITELY BOWED. 